javajive

mpride in Switzerland makes titanium skwal bindings but they appear to be be out of stock. If the current ones (F2 heel and toe?) are the same width as my aluminum binding (Elfgen maybe?) their width is about 10.8 cm. I also have the PHK/ Skwal USA which has a thinner bail.

A hybrid is fair enough. To my mind it isn't so much the boots or board profile that people like to point at as the body position imposed by the setup. There was an attempt to run a race series in France where each competitor had to use a skwal and mono ski because the technique is so different. There was a required third device, either telemark or alpine board, I forget which. I would have loved to watch. There are some funny comments on anything a bit out there. Jamie Barrow holds soft boot speed records in downhill and towed on a monster Kessler with predicable responses. Also this hardbooter: https://freecarvers.wordpress.com/2015/07/25/edmond-plawczyk-interview/ I lost the sound for reasons unknown. There are other search results.

You might look at French goggles which should fit a more aquiline nose. That partly deals with the fit on each side, a gap in the case of a rounder face. The cut of a helmet over the forehead changes with brands too. A Salomon helmet fits me well but is so deep that the brow pushes down on goggles that also fit as you have found. Having said that the Oakley helmet works well for me and my existing low bridge goggles. Best is to go to a shop to buy both at the same time.

I got CARV late in the season last year so I am far from knowing my way around it. You have multiple pressure sensors in each footbed which are wired to a transmitter outside your boot. That is received and analyzed in your phone and a coaching voice transmits to your earpiece. The setup is all taped into place so it would be a hassle to transfer to different boots. I have only used it on my alpine ski boots. I don't know of any snowboarding program for it but I would think the European racers are playing with it. You can use it any way you like but easiest is to run an overall analysis during warm up runs then isolate whatever you want to work on. It is real time so you immediately respond to pressure changes, timing, edge angles etc. One often moves asymmetrically when comparing feet. This part is the most useful, hard data you can change every turn and you can tell if your focus is wandering. At the end of the run it will give you a score and tips to make changes. As Beckmann says that is relative to an ideal form which is a group of top end skiers. Mostly European but I think includes Ted Ligety if you want to go that route. I don't use it skiing socially or off piste. Skiing solo on groomers it is a lot of fun and a bit compelling. If your objective is edging 60 deg and the monitor says you are 50 deg you really get after it. You can subscribe to get it saved anonymously so you can track your progress and compare to others. Talking to shop guys before I signed up, their take was a good coach would be better. My thought was I don't know any never mind over a whole season. Some instructors are concerned it could take away business but I think a combination of instant feedback and an educated eye is the best of both worlds.

Around here Nakiska closes April 23. They usually have one or two bonus weekends after that. Lake Louise is May 7. Sunshine Village is the usual May long weekend.

The impressive thing is that he is on 'old school' 75mm duckbill boots with flex in the binding and a lot of overhang. He might be on all mountain width skis which helps with boot out but not the carving, well maybe with the Volkl M6 Mantra. The racers are on NTN, a much stiffer and narrower boot/binding typically on women's GS skis. The jump used to be 60' with time penalties for not making distance and landing parallel. The whole thing is raced with shoulder height skating poles because about a third of the time is skate skiing uphill. There is a banked "rap" (from Norwegian) to kill your speed and you are flagged a penalty length to skate, like in biathlon.

F2 Ride is supposed to do it all. I assume it would handle any binding.

Learned to ride there.

I didn't notice this on previous posts. Nice riding on an X Race I believe.

The fabric is tougher than I expected but having had a reduced season I am still waiting to see how it wears. I am hoping to get 4-5 years (50-60 days/year) out of them value wise. Supposedly you can just throw it in the washing machine but I'm just hand washing. It is much like a thin (breathable) wetsuit. I expect it will last much longer than the knee wraps with the hinged metal side straps. I've worn out a few of those. I have had the Boa system for years in my telemark and wading boots so I had some comfort with that part of the design.

I have broken one leg in 6 places over the years. That led to chronic osteoarthritis, some affected ligaments and recently issues with the knee cap. Nothing really bad so much as a slight limp and pain/weakness that has forced me to ride regular foot when I am strongly goofy foot. I partially split the base of the tibia so it is a bit off to seat in the ankle so I have to take up any shock at the knee or I will be limping for days. When I first got the pants I went to ski a steep, chunky, grabby pitch to test them out. Worse than I had planned frankly but it was fine. I had the cables cranked down and could feel them 'tightening' during the jarring. Tension runs all the way from hip to ankle but mainly at the knee. I've never tried taping but think it would be related. I hesitated at the price but my custom brace was about $1400 ten years ago, so much cheaper.

I've used a custom knee brace for years but having fit problems lately. This winter I tried the Stoko and it completely replaced my brace, snowboarding and telemarking. It is quite an unusual design, more like an extension of your boot. A pair of BOA knobs tighten fibres down your leg and around your knee. https://stokodesign.com

After explaining the board the Liftee says "What about those boots? I've never seen anything like them!" "These are snowboard boots, not ski boots. They are soft boots covered in plastic." I could feel the covetous look behind the mask.

One boot to consider is the UPZ XC-12. The flex is reminiscent of a soft boot except you would be driving with your knees rather than heel/toe. It also comes with a good spring system and you can interchange flex tongues or add step in if you want.

Last minute but this morning CBC has the team World Cup Parallel Slalom from Bannoye, Russia. 11 am western time. I don't know of other coverage.

I just received some Airable (Kickstarter) masks. Very easy breathing with a nano fibre filter (N95 equivalent). Remains to be seen if they ice up but great in town.

SUP rail saver tape or rail guard comes in long narrow strips.

I am guessing stats would have to be pretty close to a wash before the border is open to non-essential travel. We also have a federal 2 week quarantine period for anyone that does cross.

Mostly on skis: Marmot, Lake Louise, Sunshine, Norquay, Nakiska, Fortress, Castle, Columbia Icefields, Robertson glacier (Burton Performer Elite 1985!) Whistler, Blackcomb, Cypress, Grouse, Siverstar, Apex, Revelstoke, Kicking Horse Panorama, Fernie, Kimberley, Whitewater, Red, Chatter Creek Heavenly, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows Snowbird, Alta, Park City Turner, Whitefish Timberline Mt Hutt Otaru, Niseko, Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Annupuri, Rusutsu

How do you like the foot hook? I saw them in the Gorge and thought they might be good for pow surfing if you opened them up a bit for winter boots.

Busted up my leg until I couldn't wear soft boots. I found an asym Hot Logical with Elfgen plates at Second Wind in Hood River. Using my rear entry ski boots I soon fell over and cranked a fully laid turn that still spooks me. It wasn't until I went to Nakiska decades later that I learned that was the objective.

Cool concept. Looks like you had a great day. If anyone in your group is still around Castle has been getting a bunch of fresh this week, 30 cm the last two days. They are closed due to wind/cold today but there will be plenty of wind sift in the hollows. If it is too cold go to Fernie but if too wet or busy at Fernie check out Castle. They both get a lot of snow but there is often ~8 deg C difference.

Ha, ha. Made me think of a guy who (joking) asked me what cool windsurfing gear to get to attract chicks. I said a 3.5m sail on a custom glass sinker. He'd never have to go out on it and no one would be left on the beach anyway (Gorge exception).

Here's a drill I haven't seen done except by ski racers. Maybe not the turns you are after but it looks like she is really driving down on the "handlebars" to set the edge.

PHK has a sprung soft boot binding: http://www.phk-italia.com/en/products/mix-2/